


Raising Lily: A Drabble Collection

by trenzaloures



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen, familly au, i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2015-08-11
Packaged: 2018-03-21 16:13:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3698699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trenzaloures/pseuds/trenzaloures
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Okay, let’s pretend for a minute that Maleficent found Lily not as an adult, but still as a baby. This is just going to be a collection of drabbles, completely out of order, of Maleficent staying in Storybrooke and raising Lily. Let’s also presume that she used the name Lily, that Lily isn’t evil and that Maleficent isn’t trying to make her evil. That would kind of put a damper on how cute this would all be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Bus Stop

“Alright, Lily,” Maleficent zipped up her daughter’s jacket as she knelt in front of her. “You be good today. Don’t cause too much mischief.” She smiled as she tapped the top of her nose lightly.

“I’ll be right here to pick you up when the bus comes back.”  Standing up, she turned her daughter towards the school bus, watching other mothers send their children off to school just like she was. Just like she never thought she could. Giving Lily a gentle push, she watched as she took a few steps, then stopped and turned back to look at her mother.

“Mommy, I don’t think I want to go to school.”

Hands on her hips, Maleficent looked at Lily with confusion. “Why not? You were so excited when we bought your school supplies, and last night when we picked out your outfit. What’s wrong?”

“I-I just don’t want to leave you alone. Yeah, that’s it.” She wouldn’t look her mother in the eyes. Maleficent laughed. Of course she was worried about leaving her mother alone! Hell, Maleficent was worried about sending her to school, where she couldn’t keep an eye on her. For the last five years, she hadn’t let Lily out of her sight. She had been too scared of losing her again. She almost homeschooled her, but decided she needed to decide her own path, to find her own place in the world. So, instead of taking Lily back home like a deep, hidden part of her desperately wanted to, she just laughed.

“I’m going to be just fine. Now, what’s _really_ wrong?” She knelt down in front of her daughter again. Lily still wouldn’t look her in the eyes, so she lifted her chin until she finally made eye contact.

“I’m scared. What if no one wants to talk to me? What if the teacher doesn’t like me?”

Maleficent laughed again. “How could they not? You’re a sweet, smart girl. You are going to be just fine.” Standing up, she held out her hand.

“Come on,” Maleficent said. “I’ll walk you to the bus.” Lily hesitated, but took her mother’s hand and walked slowly with her the few feet to the bus. Maleficent watched her as she slowly climbed the large steps and found a seat. As the bus pulled away, Lily waved at her mother until she was out of sight, Maleficent doing the same. Slowly, Maleficent walked back to her shop, reassuring herself the whole way.

_She’ll be back this afternoon. It’s just school. It’s just school._

And that afternoon, she was back, and Maleficent was waiting exactly where she had told Lily she would be. As they walked home, Lily could hardly stop talking about her day. She had so many stories and was telling them so quickly it was hard for Maleficent to keep up. Apparently she had made quite a few friends, and she enjoyed playing tag and hide and seek on the playground with them. She also couldn’t stop talking about her teacher, Ms. Ashbury. Once they reached the shop and Maleficent began to tidy up, Lily followed her around, talking about how nice her day was.

“We sing a ‘good morning’ song every morning, and we get to have a snack in the afternoon, you’ll have to start packing one, Mommy, and soon we get to start ‘Alphabet Show and Tell’! That’s where you bring in something each day that begins with the next letter of the alphabet. And then-“ Lily was suddenly cut off by a very large yawn she couldn’t push back.

“Alright,” Maleficent said. “I think it’s time for somebody to take a nap.” Maleficent took her daughter’s hand and began to lead her up the stairs to her bedroom.

“But, I still have to tell you about-“ The sentence was cut off by another large yawn.

“I know, I know. You can tell me more about your day later, alright? After your nap. I don’t think you want all those yawns interrupting your great stories, do you?”

Lily shook her head as she climbed under her covers. “No, Mommy.” Her eyes were already starting to close before her head even hit the pillow. Maleficent quietly tucked her daughter’s stuffed dragon, Smoky, under her already sleeping child’s arm, knowing she would panic if she woke up without it. She kissed Lily on the forehead, then tiptoed out of the room.


	2. No More Training Wheels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily's learning how to ride a bike! Very fluffy.

“Are you sure about this, Mom?” Lily glanced nervously at her mother removing the training wheels from her bike.

“You will be fine. You’re almost eight years old! You want to be able to ride as well as the older children, don’t you?”

Lily hesitated for a second, then nodded.

“Good.” Maleficent stood up and backed away from the bike. “Then let’s begin, shall we?”

Slowly, Lily climbed on the bike, wobbling for a moment without the immediate support of her training wheels. Maleficent placed her hands beside Lily’s on the handlebars.

“Okay, now put your feet on the pedals. I won’t let you fall. I’ll keep my hands here the whole time, okay?”

“Okay.” Lily put her feet on the pedals, shaking for a moment before being stabilized by Maleficent.

“Good! Now, start pedaling.” Lily looked at her mother like she was crazy.

“You’ll be fine! I told you, I’m not going to let go. Not until you want me to.” Lily nodded again, and then slowly began pedaling. Soon, she began to speed up, and Maleficent had to run to keep up with her. The whole time Maleficent was glad she had worn flat shoes and not her normal heels.

“Lily, do you want me to let go?” She asked. Lily quickly shook her head.

“You’re not going to fall! And I don’t think I can keep up with you for much longer. Do you want me to let go?” Lily didn’t answer for a long time. Finally, she nodded.

“Alright. You can do this. Just keep pedaling!” Maleficent let go of the handlebars, slowing her pace from sprinting to keep up with her daughter to a slight jog, until she had stopped completely. She was afraid to look up, worried Lily had already fallen off the bike. Suddenly, she heard laughter, and as she looked up, she saw her daughter speeding up the street, riding perfectly.

“I told you that you could do it!” Maleficent yelled. “Don’t go too far though!”

Hearing her mother yelling, Lily began to turn around and head back towards her. However, she didn’t realize how fast she had been going and how tightly she was turning, so she started to fall off the bike. Seeing what was happening, Maleficent quickly threw out her hands, freezing her daughter seconds before she hit the ground. After gently setting her down, she ran as fast as she could to get to Lily.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?” Maleficent began inspecting Lily, checking every inch of her for a bruise or cut (even though she never really hit the ground).

“Yeah, I’m fine. I knew I wouldn’t be perfect on the first try. But still, I rode a bike! I did it!”

“See, I told you that you would be fine! Even though you almost fell. But like you said, it’s going to take practice to be good at it. Now, what do you think about getting some ice cream to celebrate?”

“That sounds awesome!” Lily shakily stood up. “Um, could I maybe ride my bike there?”

“Even though you just fell off?”

Lily shrugged. “I want to try again. Plus, I never really fell. You stopped me, which means you can stop me if I fall again! I’ll be fine!”

Maleficent just laughed. “Alright, if you’re sure. Now, let’s go get that ice cream.”

Lily rode her bike all the way to the ice cream parlor, Maleficent smiling right behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I really suck at ending these. Sorry I posted this so late! Hopefully tomorrow's will be out at a decent time!


	3. Too Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily wanders off. Things don't go well.

Maleficent had already lost Lily once, and she almost did again.

It was summer in Storybrooke, so many storekeepers and farmers were beginning to sell their products out in the street. One day, on her way home with Lily from the library, Maleficent decided to stop at a few of those vendors along the way, particularly a very nice looking produce vendor just a little ways from her shop.

“Stay right here beside me, alright? We’ll only be here for a few minutes.” Lily nodded. Normally she followed her mother’s directions without question, but today she was distracted. A man was walking a large dog across the street, and Lily very much wanted to go pet it. Nervously, she glanced up at her mother talking with the man behind the stand. Surely she would be okay with her going across the street for a second, wouldn’t she? It was just to see that dog, and then she would be right back. So, while Maleficent wasn’t looking, Lily began to wander across the road.

Meanwhile, Maleficent was too busy picking out the best lettuce out of the pile to notice her daughter had left her side. She didn’t realize until she heard someone call out, “Hey, somebody get that kid!” She knew Lily wouldn’t leave her side if she was told not to, but just in case, she looked down to check.

Lily wasn’t there.

Whipping around, she saw her daughter almost in the middle of the road. She also saw the large truck heading straight for her. And it wasn't slowing down. “ _Lily!”_ Maleficent threw out her hands, pulling Lily out of the road and safely into her arms with her magic.

“Don’t do that!” She cried, holding tightly to her child. “Don’t you ever do that! Please, I can’t lose you again…”

Lily was confused. “But, I was just going to pet the nice dog!”

Maleficent pulled away, looking at her daughter. It was clear she didn’t mean any harm. She just wanted to pet the dog. That didn’t make it right, though.

“Listen, if you want to cross the street, you have to ask me first, alright? You’re too small for people to see you, and you could get hurt if I’m not with you. Promise you won’t cross the street by yourself again?”

Lily’s eyes began to fill with tears. “I promise, Mommy!” She cried. “I’m so sorry!” Maleficent pulled her back in for another hug.

“Shh, shh, it’s alright. You didn’t know. It’s okay, you’re okay…” Picking Lily up, she walked with her in her arms all the way back to their apartment, refusing to put her down the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, not as cute as the last one. And I know I said I would post today's chapter earlier, but that obviously didn't happen. Sorry!


	4. Trips to the Library

Once Lily learned how to read, she never wanted to be without a book. And that meant almost weekly trips to the Storybrooke Library. The young girl seemed to make it her mission to read as much as she could. Because she read so much, she became an advanced reader very quickly. That doesn’t mean she didn’t still enjoy the books about dragons and knights.

Every time she found a book with a dragon in it, she would ask Maleficent if she ever knew that dragon. After all, if Maleficent came from a book, shouldn’t she know other dragons from books?

“No, dear, I don’t know that dragon.” She patiently explained this every time she was asked. “That’s a dragon from a different book than I came from, so I’ve never met them.”

“Oh. What about this one?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that one was really, really short but it was too cute not to write!


	5. Movie Night

“Alright, Lily, what movie do you feel like watching tonight?” Maleficent looked over at her twelve year old daughter on the couch.

“What about Sleeping Beauty?” Maleficent gave her daughter a firm look.

“You know how I feel about that movie. I don’t like it at all. It reminds me too much of things I would like to forget.”

“The actual Sleeping Beauty?”

Maleficent sighed. “No. Yes? I don’t know. I just don’t want to relive all of that.”

Lily got up from her spot on the couch. “Well, I haven’t even heard it once. Not the full story, anyway. You refuse to talk about it no matter how much I ask. I want to know, and I want to see how this world thought the story went. Please, Mom.” Lily gave her mother her best, most innocent begging look. Usually it didn’t work, but this time Maleficent’s defenses were already weak from thinking about her past.

“Alright. We can watch it this once, but that’s it, alright?” Lily clapped her hands together excitedly.

“Thank you!” After putting the movie into the DVD player, Maleficent sat beside her daughter on the couch.

From what Maleficent could tell, these Disney people didn’t really know the story as well as they seemed to. They over dramatized everything, and focused too much time on the pathetic prince and those annoying fairies. Lily, however, seemed to be enjoying the movie. That is until they reached the end. The prince was fighting the Maleficent in the movie, and the Maleficent on the couch couldn’t help but flinch as movie Maleficent was defeated. Looking over at Lily, she noticed the silent tears falling down her face. She quickly paused the movie and turned back to her daughter.

“Whatever’s the matter, dear?”

Lily sniffled, wiping her tears away. “Is that really what happened? Did you…did you die?”

“Well, obviously I didn’t die, or neither of us would be here right now.” Maleficent reached out, wiping away a few of the tears Lily missed. “But yes, I was defeated. And it was not a pleasant moment. See why I didn’t want to watch this movie now?”

Lily nodded. “I’m sorry. I just- I didn’t know. I was curious. I knew the basics of your story. You cursing Aurora, and how she ended up being woken by her prince, but-I didn’t know that was what had happened in the end, that you…” Her throat choked up, Lily began to cry again. Maleficent pulled her closer, smoothing her hair as she cried.

“I know, I know. I should have told you earlier. I’m sorry, dear.”

Lily pulled away to look at her mother. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed so hard to watch this stupid movie. Just please, don’t ever leave me!” She threw herself back in her mother’s arms.

“I promise, I’m not going to leave you. Not for a very long time.” The two of them stayed like that for a while, even after Lily had stopped crying. Neither of the two wanted to let go. Not just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the ending was a bit cheesy on that one, but oh well. Hey, I got the chapter out earlier today!


	6. Auntie Cruella Comes to Visit

Maleficent was startled for a moment by the sudden knock at the door. Then she remembered who was coming to visit. Getting up, she started to head towards the door but was beaten by a ten year old streak she called Lily.

“I’ve got it, Mom!” She called out as she ran by, throwing the door open to reveal Maleficent’s dear friend Cruella.

“Auntie Cruella!” Lily squealed, throwing herself into Cruella’s open arms.

“Hello, darling! How’s my little flower doing today?”

Lily pulled out of her aunt’s arms, trying (and failing) to nonchalantly look around Cruella’s back, knowing every time her aunt came to visit she brought her some new toy or outfit.

“I’m fine. School’s great. Everything’s good. Did you say something?” Cruella and Maleficent laughed at how distracted Lily was by the thought of something new. The girl certainly was very spoiled.

“Do you just want me to show you what I’ve brought?” Cruella asked the young girl. Lily snapped back to reality at the question and began bouncing excitedly.

“Yes! Oh, well, I mean, if you want to.” Giving her aunt the biggest eyes possible, she tried to hide her excitement and look as humble as she could.

“All right then!” Cruella clapped lightly. “Now, close your eyes.” Once Lily’s eyes were sufficiently covered, Cruella reached behind her and placed a large box in front of the excited girl. Maleficent, curious, moved forward to see what was inside it. She wished she hadn’t.

“Oh, you didn’t.” Maleficent looked at Cruella with shock.

“She didn’t what? Can I open my eyes now?” Lily begged.

“Of course you can!” Lily opened her eyes instantly, taking in the sight in front of her. Cruella’s arms were open, gesturing to a large box now set in front of her. And inside that box was-

“A puppy!” Lily cried with glee.

“A puppy.” Maleficent groaned, not nearly as happy about the gift as her daughter was.

“Oh, Auntie Cruella, thank you so much!” Lily gently lifted the small animal out of the box, carrying it over to the couch where she proceeded to fawn over it. Meanwhile, Maleficent was doing her best not to kill Cruella.

“Why on earth would you get her a puppy? Especially without asking me first?! Why didn’t you just make it into a new coat or a pair of gloves like you normally do?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Cruella shrugged. “I found this one wandering the street and thought I did think about what a lovely new pair of mittens it would make, I thought Lily would prefer it be in her care.”

“She’s only ten years old!” Maleficent protested. “I was going to wait until she was at least twelve to give her this kind of responsibility.”

“But look at her!” Cruella gestured over to Lily, currently playing with hew new puppy with a look of absolute euphoria on her face. “She’s so happy! Besides, I’m sure she can handle it with your help. She’s a very mature ten year old.”

“ _My_ help?”

“Fine. _Our_ help. Still, she’ll be fine.” Looking back over at Lily, Maleficent’s heart softened. She did look very happy, and she had been wanting a puppy for the longest time. Maleficent sighed, defeated.

“Fine. She can keep the puppy.” The two women joined the young girl on the couch, Lily still distracted by her new friend.

“Alright then, dear,” Maleficent asked, gaining her daughter’s attention. “What are you going to name her?”

Her eyebrows furrowed, Lily had to think for a moment before she could come up with a good enough name. “How about…Miri? After my favorite book character?”

The two women nodded in approval. “That’s a very nice name, dear.” “Wonderful choice, darling.”

Even Maleficent had to admit: the dog was very cute.


	7. Outcasts

Once Lily got older, she began to notice how people treated her mother. It was never anything too obvious, but since Lily was very observant, she always noticed. Noticed how someone would move around her mother when they walked down the street together, leaving plenty of space between them. How shops and restaurants would get quieter when she walked in. The whispers and looks her mother got, just by showing her face in public. One day, when Lily was maybe eight or nine, the two walked into Granny’s for a nice lunch. Lily noticed the conversations pausing, the many looks and whispers the pair got as they entered. She noticed how the lady who ran the restaurant seemed to avoid their table for as long as she could. She just couldn’t take the curiosity anymore. So, once they were settled in their booth, Lily took a deep breath and got ready to ask her question.

“Mom?” Lily said quietly. Her mother almost didn’t hear her.

“Yes, dear?” Looking across the table, Maleficent noticed her daughter looking nervously at her lap. “What’s wrong?”

Lily took another deep breath, then just blurted out her question. “Why does everyone act different around us?”

Maleficent was confused. “Different? Whatever do you mean?”

“I notice things. People always walk really far around us. People stop talking when we walk into places. Why do they do that?”

Maleficent wasn’t ready for this conversation. Lily was still so young, she hadn’t really told her about her past yet. She didn’t want her little girl thinking she was a monster. She knew people in this town still didn’t accept her living there, so of course her daughter, bright as she was, would notice something was amiss. Her brain shut down for a minute, not sure how to explain this all to the innocent child in front of her.

“Mom? Did you hear me?” Maleficent shook her head a little, her focus switching from her own thoughts back to the girl in front of her, the girl still waiting on an answer.

“Oh, yes, I heard you. Oh dear, how do I explain this? Well, before I had you, I lived somewhere else with all of these people. A place called the Enchanted Forest.”

“A forest?” Lily interrupted. “It sounds nice!”

Maleficent sighed. “Yes, it was nice. But I was not nice to it, or the people who lived there. I was very mean to them.”

“Why?” Lily interjected again.

“Because I was hurting. I was sad and jealous because other people, other people who had hurt me, were happy, and I wasn’t. So, I took that pain and anger out on others instead of dealing with it better.”

“So,” Lily was taking all of this in and trying to comprehend this. “People treat us different because you hurt them? It’s not my fault?”

“No, of course it’s not your fault!” Maleficent was shocked. Lily thought this was all because of her? “Why would you ever think that?”

Lily looked back down at her lap. “I don’t know. I just thought I’d maybe done something wrong.”

Maleficent got up from her seat across her daughter, instead choosing to sit down beside her, wrapping an arm around the small girl.

“Listen to me. This-“ She gestured at the groups whispering and giving the mother and daughter mean looks. “None of this is your fault. This is all because of mistakes I made a long time ago. But having you in my life made me a better person. Other people can’t see that yet, and I sometimes I do think I deserve it.”

Lily looked back up at her mother. “Nobody deserves having so many people be mean to them.” Pulling out of her mother’s embrace, Lily stood up on the booth seat.

“Hey!” She shouted. All the people in the restaurant looked at her, some with confusion, some with annoyance.

“Lily, what are you doing?” Maleficent whispered.

“You all better start being nicer to my mom! She is a good person, and it’s not nice to treat her like you all do!” After realizing the young girl had noticed how they’d been acting, many began to look away, guilt covering their faces. Satisfied, Lily plopped back down beside her mother, who wasn’t sure how she was feeling at the moment.

“You didn’t have to do that, dear. I can handle these people myself.”

“But I wanted to!” Lily protested. “I don’t like how they’ve been treating you. It needed to stop, so hopefully that will help. Because you are a good person, no matter what you did before. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

Maleficent felt like the proudest mother on earth right then. “How did you get so wise all of a sudden?”

“Books, mostly.” Lily paused for a moment. “And from watching you.”

“Oh, my dear,” Maleficent hugged her daughter again.

“Thank you.”


	8. Training Day

Lily had been begging her mother to teach her magic for years now. Ever since she was little, there was nothing she wanted more than to be magical like Maleficent was. She knew she had it in her, but Maleficent never thought she was ready.

“You’re too young!” She would say every time Lily asked. “To be able to learn magic, you have to be mature and in control.”

Then, finally, Maleficent decided her daughter was ready. On Lily’s fourteenth birthday, Maleficent gave Lily a rather large present.

“What’s this?” Lily asked, looking at the carefully wrapped rectangle on the coffee table with curiosity.

“Why do you always ask that? As if I would just tell you. Unwrap it and see!” Lily instantly pulled the present into her lap and began to rip the paper off as quickly as she could. Finally, she was able to see what the present was. It was-

“A book?” Picking it up, Lily began to inspect the front and back covers, looking for a clue as to what the book was about. After realizing those yielded no clues, she opened the book and began to skim some of the pages. Covered in detailed drawings and cryptic symbols, Lily began to have an idea of what this was.

“It’s a book of magic!” Maleficent sat down beside her daughter on the couch. “I realized that, since you’re going to high school next year and all, you’re ready to learn magic. That is, if you want to.”

“If I want to?” Lily could hardly contain her excitement. “I would love to!” Hugging her mother so tight she nearly choked her, all Lily could manage to say was “Thank you!” over and over.

“Okay!” Maleficent gasped. “If you let me go so I can breathe properly, we could maybe try something right now!”

“Sorry!” Lily pulled away from her mother. “Are you serious though? I could learn magic right now?”

Maleficent laughed. “Yes, you can. We’ll start with something simple, though we may want to go outside for this. I don’t want you burning anything.” Quickly, Maleficent left the room and headed outside to the empty lot behind their building.

“Wait, burning something?” Confused, Lily ran after her mother. “What do you mean by not wanting me to burn anything?”

Once outside, Maleficent finally turned around. “Because your first lesson, my dear,” Pausing, Maleficent conjured a large ball of flames into her right palm. “Is fire.” Turning away, Maleficent threw the fireball at a dead bush against the building. After letting it burn for a moment, she put the fire out with a small spray of water.

“That. Was. Awesome!” Of course Lily had seen her mother do this a million times, but it never ceased to impress her.

“I’m glad you think so. Because now it’s your turn.” 

“Alright, so, how do I do this?” Lily asked nervously, holding her hand out.

“Concentrate on the wood. Dip into that desire to do magic, that passion, that anger. Find your inner fire, and push it out.”

Squeezing her eyes shut, Lily focused as hard as she could on her hand. She pictured the fireball blazing there, bright and right in front of her. After a while, she peeked one eye open, and saw an empty hand in front of her.

“Ugh!” She groaned.

“It’s alright! Nobody gets it perfect on the first try. Magic takes time and practice.” Maleficent said, trying to comfort her daughter.

“I just want to make you proud, you know? You’re this great and powerful person, and I just want to be as good as you are.” Lily let her hand fall back down by her side. Maleficent walked over to her and lifted it back up.

“And you will be. You just have to let yourself make mistakes. Then, you can learn from them and be even better than before. You can do this. Just focus.” Stepping back, Maleficent let go of her daughter’s hand. Nodding, Lily closed her eyes again.

_Come on, Lily. You want to be as good as Mom is one day? Prove it._

After a minute or two, Lily suddenly heard her mother gasp. Eyes flying open, Lily immediately noticed the small ball of fire now sitting in her hand.

“Woah. I did it. I did it!” However, as soon as she moved her hand, the flame went out. “Oh, man!” She groaned.

“Don’t worry about it, dear. You did it!” Maleficent shouted, hugging her daughter.

“But it was so small, and it went out as soon as I lost focus.” Maleficent pulled away and lifted Lily’s chin so they made eye contact.

“As I said before, nobody’s perfect on their first try. That was only your second, and you were able to create fire! In your hand! You are going to be great at this. You just need teaching and practice.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Stepping back, Lily held her hand out. “Can I try again?”

She practiced for hours, until finally, Lily had enough practice and focus to create a fireball almost as powerful as her mother’s. Having some control over her fire now, Lily certainly enjoyed lighting the candles on her birthday cake that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've been pretty horrible when it comes to posting chapters. I'd like to say I'll get better, but school starts in two weeks, so I probably won't. I will try my best though! Thanks so much for still reading these little drabbles, even though it's been so, so long since the last one.

**Author's Note:**

> Not thrilled with how I ended that, but oh well. So as you can tell these will be pretty short, but I hope you like them!


End file.
